Final Project Lab

After a very fun and difficult semester we are officially done with our last assignment being our final project. For the assignment we got to choose what we wanted to analyze and basically do what a GIS Analyst does. I decided to do my assignment on the relation between income and crime rate, so I did my lab on my hometown of Lithia, FL and compared the income and crimes committed to the city of Palm River. As you can see from the map above that there is a big relation to income and crime rates, I found that because of Palm River's lower mean income there were more crimes reported in the area compared to Lithia with a much higher mean income having only five crimes being committed. The lab really tested us because we were tasked to use all of the knowledge gained from this semester and to use it on this project. There were difficult times but it wasn't too bad just very time consuming, but all around I feel very confident in my knowledge of GIS programming. Here is my final presentation so you have an idea of what I was trying accomplish.

Week 12 - Georeferencing

This weeks lab was very interesting, but at the same time difficult. In the lab we learned what georeferencing is and it is defined as showing where an image such as an aerial photograph where it belongs and this was used very heavily in this lab. In the maps above we had to align the UWF campus buildings with the aerial image on campus and let me tell you that it was extremely difficult. Once I got it down it got easier to complete the lab, but the lab was not only about georeferencing but also creating a multiple ring buffer. The first map shows an aerial of the UWF Campus but also included on that map is a circular buffer, this buffer shows the required Protective Area for Eagle Nests by the FWC and there happens to be a nest by campus. For the second map, you can tell that it is somewhat 3D and that was another use of GIS we learned about. It includes almost the samething from the first map excluding the nest but mainly showing the elevation of campus with the 3D. I learned a lot from this lab and as a result I believe I am ready to complete my final project.

Week 11 - Geocoding and Network Analysis

In this weeks lab we started doing geocoding, the concept is very cool but difficult to do. As you can tell we made another map in this weeks lab and the map shows EMS locations in Lake County, Florida. But you can also see that there is a red line connecting three stations and that is another thing we learned in this weeks lab. Routing is basically what google maps, waze, and apple maps but, for GIS. The concept of it was very easy and was fun to do. But all around this weeks lab wasn't too difficult and it very much helped me be prepared for the final project.

Week 10: Vector Analysis 2

In this week's lab we learned how to use buffer and overlay tools, as well as learn how to use ArcPy. The most difficult part about this weeks lab was using ArcPy and making sure everything was inserted correctly, because one mistake could mess up the whole code. Now I have gained more knowledge into being able to be successful in the class. Above is a map of possible camping sites in a region, showing bodies of water and roads connecting to the sites in green.

Week 7-8 Data Search Lab Assignment

This weeks lab served as our midterm assignment and it was as challenging as you expected it to be. For this week were assigned to collected data from LABINS and FGDL to analyze certains aspects of a county we were assigned. I was assigned Hillsborough county, my home county and at the end of this lab I came to these three maps. The first map is an Environmental map which includes: Cities, Rivers, Roads, Invasive Plants, State Parks, and an Aerial of the county, specifically my home town. The second map is a Digital Elevation Map of the county, it was very difficult to clip this map because of it being two different sets of data but in the end I understood on how to fix the issue by using the Extract by Mask tool. The third and final map is a Land Cover map which shows the amount of land in Hillsborough county. The lab was difficult at the beginning trying to figure everything out and remember how to do the steps from the other labs but throughout the process of making these maps it got very easy and now I feel as I am ready for anything to be assigned to myself.

Week 6 - Projections Part 2 Lab Assignment

In this weeks lab we did more exercises in projections, but by far it was a very difficult lab. This was the first week where we ultimately had to make a map on our one without specific step-by-step directions. A part of the map layers for this lab is an aerial view of West Pensacola, major roadways in Florida, boundaries of Florida's 67 counties, a Quad Index to help distinguish what each section is hence West Pensacola being in its own quadrant, and last but not least petroleum tank storage locations in Escambia county. To get the data needed to create this map we needed to use the common sites where the data is located, such as, labins.org, and FGDL. Once we collected all of the data, we needed to make sure all of the layers were projected to the same Coordinate system. As a result we gained more experience with the Project tool. After this weeks lab, I feel more confident then ever that I can complete this class with high success.

Week 5 - Projections Part 1 Lab Assignment

In this weeks lab we made a single map showing three data frames presenting the data in three different projections of the state of Florida. In each of these data frames are the same four counties, but in each map the counties have a different square mileage due to the type of map projection they are. For instance, the UTM map projection is better suited for when mapping a smaller area, such as, a city and the Albers map projection is better suited for larger areas such as states. The main focus in this weeks lab was learning how to re-project shape-files, define projections, create new shape-files, making multiple map views, manipulation attribute tables, and working on raster projections. In my opinion the hardest part of the lab was trying to distinguish the difference between the projections and making sure they were inserted correctly. All around this wasn't a very difficult lab, I learned a lot and I feel more confident than ever in completing this course.

Week 4 - ArcCollector and Data Sharing Lab Assignment

For this lab we made many maps including a Story Map. The Story Map shows data of blue lights around the UWF campus, that I collected. At the beginning, trying to figure out the lab was a bit difficult but I soon understood how to setup a feature class and setting up the domain information. When it came to using the ArcGIS Collector app, it was very easy to navigate and I had no issues collecting the data. On the map you might notice a cluster of the blue lights and then one random one off in the distance, my goal in that was see if the blue lights in areas with low pedestrian traffic were in good shape. To make sure there were different ways of viewing the map with the data, we made a web map which can be accessed online, we turned the data into a KML (Keyhole Markup Language) file and then inserted it into Google Earth, and we made it into a map package to share to people who aren't on the local network. Altogether, this was a great lab and it has helped me further understand how to analyze and collect data.

Week 3 - GIS and Cartography Lab Assignment

For this lab, we were assigned to make three different maps of Mexico to understand how to use labeling, symbology, and understand the difference between raster and vector data files. I chose this map to show because of the details and showing the number of roads, rivers, railroads, and major cities in Central Mexico. For the second map, we used a shapefile of the Mexican states and with that I chose a variety of colors from a color ramp to distinguish the lowest population from the largest. For the third and final map, we used a digital elevation map (DEM) to show the different elevations in Mexico. I am still trying to figure out ArcGIS but, after this weeks lab I felt more confident to easily navigate through it and make better maps each week.

Week 2 Lab: Own Your Map

In this weeks lab we were assigned to make a map of Escambia County highlighting UWF's main campus, local cities, interstates, and major rivers. We also made a map of the state of Florida highlighting where Escambia County is located in relation to other counties in the state. Making this map was a tedious process, but in the end I was able to learn the specific details into making a good map and increasing my skill in the designing of a map layout.

Week 1 - Overview of ArcGIS Lab Assignment

This was the first assignment for our Introduction to GIS class, where we created a map of the world's countries and population. This was meant to help us get familiar with ArcGIS, specifically ArcMap and ArcHelp, but mainly what to expect in this class. Being our first lab assignment, it took me longer than expected to complete but in the end I felt very comfortable with my work. Even though this only the beginning, I am very confident in succeeding in this class.